The Conference NCTE

I went to the NCTE conference this past weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. The conference was held in Pittsburgh, PA. Although I was supposed to fly, I ended up driving by myself. The scenery was beautiful. Once I got to PA, I noticed the tall hills and the houses that were on the hills. I stayed at the Best Western where I not only got complimentary breakfast, but also three drinks per night. Once I got to the Convention Center, I realized how big the conference really was. I recieved a booklet that was filled with pages after pages of sessions. It took me at least thirty minutes to pick two sessions! The first session I picked was a session that was led by Nikki Giovanni. I was so excited that I arrived sixteen minutes early so I could get a good seat. I ended up getting a seat right in the front. A woman walked up to me and asked me if I could take a picture of her and Nikki Giovanni. I agreed and took the picture. She then asked me if I could e-mail the picture to her at a later date. She told me that she was the speaker for the session and she would be introducing Nikki Giovanni soon. I asked her if I could shake her hand, since she had the privilege of introducing Nikki Giovanni. She then asked me if I wanted to get introduced to Nikki Giovanni. At this point, I was speechless. I could only shake my head up and down and smile as big as my mouth would allow. I walked on the stage, palms sweaty, feet shaking. When she introduced me to Nikki, I was awestruck. Nikki told me I had a pretty smile and I started smiling until my face felt like it was about to crack open. Not only did I get to shake her hand, but I also got to take a picture with her. This experience was one of the top three best experiences in my life. I can't wait to go to the next NCTE Connference which will be held in Nashville, TN.